


momfriending: harriet edition

by novub



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Friendfiction, One Big Happy Family, Pack Mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 12:24:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7268104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novub/pseuds/novub
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>the song liz plays is up to u >B)</p></blockquote>





	momfriending: harriet edition

light streams through the half-open blinds and scatters across the colorful furniture of maka and soul's apartment. harriet stands up straight and closes the fridge door, shuffling over to the stovetop and making good use of the cream that soul would have otherwise downed in one go. the kids stand around the small kitchen, council meeting underway.

"problem, though", soul interjects with a small frown. "the plan seems pretty solid, but... everyone's gonna be so busy when we split up that we won't have time for anything else. a whole week! what are we going to do about shelter? food?" 

black✩star throws an eyeroll to maka at his left and holds one palm out, other crossed over his chest. "listen, i'm just fine without any of those things, and if you all aren't up to challenge--"

maka cuts off black✩star with a glare and an accusatory point-- "what about tsubaki? don't you think about anyone but yourself?"

soul watches with raised eyebrows as tsubaki snorts and says, "nope! he never does." she takes a third seat at the table next to liz and crona and makes it clear she's listening to whatever flimsy defense black✩star can piece together. the asshole in question makes noises of disbelief, and death the kid cuts everyone off with a hearty sigh through the nose. 

"you're like little children, all of you, and listening to this is an enormous waste of time!", and then, hypocritically, "is it so hard to come up with a solution instead of bickering about it?" 

kid turns to harriet, still leaning against the counter in amusement so she can watch both her soup and her charges. "what do you think we should do?"

only offering a quiet smile at first, she brings a hand up to support her chin, elbow resting at her hip. "i think you can work it out yourselves," she says slowly, "but i _am_ your assigned guardian and chaperone. it's a dangerous task... we trust you with it, and i am here to help in any way i can. _you_ tell me what to do."

liz drums her fingers on the tabletop, eyes cast upward, thinking. "okay, well, taking out that many kishin in a day-- that many _dangerous_ , powerful kishin, methodically and carefully, is going to be exhausting! i don't think it would hurt to get some rest. we rendezvous somewhere different every nightfall, reconfigure objectives if needed, and then set out again at dawn."

harriet _hmm_ s in affirmation. "yes, i endorse this. as much as i am confident in all your abilities, and as much as your past successes have proved them, there is always more to learn-- and mistakes you haven't made yet. i would like to tend to possible injuries and make sure you're all okay as often as possible." she purses her lips, concern plain on her face. "this is difficult work." she cares about the children immensely, and is just as proud of them, but part of her is hardened in resentment towards shinigami for recruiting them so young. "you are not above harm," she says with a glance to soul. he sulks, hand drifting towards his stomach, and the room is quiet. everyone knows she is right. 

"i guess so," is all maka says, eyes on patty bouncing into the room on her heels to check the fridge. harriet is reminded of the soup, and tries to find enough bowls in the cupboards only equipped to feed a few. patty plops beside crona, offering them a strawberry, that they accept sheepishly. tsubaki leans over and plucks one from the container. "sounds good to me."

making a face at the fruit on the table, soul rests an elbow on maka's shoulder, the collective amusement in the room palpable at how he has to lean up to do so. giggling, maka rearranges herself so her own arm ruins the spiked nest of soul's hair and displaces his hairband. "so that's that, then," kid concludes, watching with eyes like a starved puppy as harriet loads cream of mushroom into bowls, plastic cups, and tupperware, whatever she could salvage from the depths of the hellcabinet.

black✩star shovels spoonfuls into his mouth, yelping from the heat, but persevering. "when do we leave!!!"

* * *

hands shaking, lip drawn back in horror, harriet launches forward to help an unconscious, bloody black✩star off tsubaki's shoulders. "oh my god!"

* * *

"you're serious," she says once black✩star's patched up, leg splinted and wrapped back in their hideout. "of all things! a broken ankle! what happened?" 

tsubaki sits primly and reties her hair. "he tripped," she says, simply, and harriet is glad she accompanied them out here. "we took out seven tents of their footsoldiers near the edge-- i talked him out of going for their leader, we wouldn't have been able to handle all three hundred troops at once, but the higher-ups wouldn't notice these ones missing-- and someone almost saw him. when he flashstepped back into the trees, he tripped. into a thornbush."

harriet sighs. "i'm glad it looked worse than it was, nothing serious..."

when maka, soul, kid, liz, and patty have all returned to their dugout, her relief morphs into more horror. "crona? where's crona?"

"they're fine!" maka supplies quickly, watching soul bend down to check on black✩star. "crona's fine, they wanted to see if they could get you anything for tonight's dinner. since we packed light and all." liz slumps against the dirt wall next to tsubaki, patty and kid joining them. harriet remains standing. "okay, well. first--" she rummages through maka's bag and retrieves a handful of toothbrushes."first things first." she points a yellow one at soul, the dentist's nightmare, and he grins mischievously. 

washed up and fed, they gather around a small fire.

"okay, report."

crona sits close to harriet, legs folded under them. "i have information," they offer haltingly. with a stick from the flames, they press lines in the dirt. "here's their camp... that's... where the boss is. we already know that." 

kid tilts his chin up in a silent prompt and crona continues. "six guards..." --scratch scratch-- "here, here, and here, in pairs. i don't think they're armed."

black✩star leans backwards in his squat, broken ankle be damned. "so they're powerful enough to get cocky! great. that'll be fun." crona shakes their head. "that's not it. they're weapons and meisters."

"wow. didn't see that coming," liz puts a hand to her chin. "i don't think we've dealt with kishin that have their own partnerships with weapons." 

"it makes sense, though!" maka says. "why would greedy, power-hungry monsters resist a move that would make them stronger." medusa in mind, she looks at crona. "are you okay?"

crona meets maka's eyes. "yes." silence for a beat. "okay." 

kid starts pacing. 

"so we don't know what half of those people can transform into," tsubaki says.

"are we not going to target the boss much later? chip at the ranks first? we needn't make a mess of things prematurely."

harriet wedges her foot in the conversational door. "correct. that is the wisest course of action." she affixes black✩star with a meaningful look.

"it was an accident!" 

"that's not what she means! and you should have been more careful!" tsubaki scowls.

harriet holds up her hand. "tomorrow, we do the same thing. be more careful. work towards the middle. they're not organized enough to notice. once they do-- and only when that happens-- all's free game." excitement laces the air.

"oy, patty, that was a good move we did, let's try it again, don't you agree, kid?" 

"and i _swear_ , maka, _listen_ when i tell you i'm can handle it. i'm fine!"

harriet rustles to the mouth of the cave. "get some rest, the lot of you!" she says, tossing a blanket over an indignant maka and patting crona's shoulder. maka steals crona under the blanket as well. 

sitting with her back to the wall, one eye on the kids, one eye outside, harriet smiles. the crickets keep watch too.

* * *

behind the wheel is one of harriet's favorite places to be. especially the wheel of her chameleovan, speeding through the desert. 

"i know traveling through the desert is a sweaty experience, but of all things, i was not prepared for this," kid remarks, too close to black✩star's terrible, sweaty pits, additionally wedged between the built-in cupholders of the van and soul's snoring form.

"you'll get used to it," maka smirks from the passenger's seat, AC blasting. "it's cool that we don't need to go totally underground or something to avoid being seen, though," she says to harriet.

"yeah, well! i think so too." they exchange grins. "aren't you glad you escaped the sardine-ing back there?"

"oh yeah, definitely."

tsubaki stretches and settles her legs over chrona and liz, the three of them in the middle of the vehicle, patty already zonked out on the floor. liz rubs tsubaki's feet. "hey, hey, do you have an aux cord?" liz crows.

"no!" kid answers for harriet. "no, say no, please,"

maka passes it back. "no, oh my _god,_ " kid implores, and liz presses play.

"what is THAT," harriet exclaims, half choking on laughter.

"whatever it is, turn it up!" soul scrambles, shoving kid's face away and trying to lean over the seats. "guh!" 

"it's great!" black✩star sits upright, sending kid back down under the mess of limbs. "you've gotta send this to me!"

"ofmfgmhy gofd!" kid resurfaces, "don't, liz--"

"don't swap recommendations, peace and quiet is already rare," tsubaki takes liz's hand. 

"turn it off!"

"turn it up!!!!"

"maka, this is your fault!"

"hey, i think it's cool. liz, you do you!"

"turn it up!!!!!!!!"

"NO!!!"

"it's not bad as black✩star's taste, to be fair," chrona laughs from the very center of the van, studying the cover of one of maka's books.

"hey!!!! well what do YOU like, then?!"

"oh, i don't know," they start--

"something NORMAL probably," kid splutters.

"CHILDREN!" harriet booms, mock pompous. "enjoy the music!"

"i will _not_ enjoy the music! it's unenjoyable!" 

* * *

"welcome home," marie whispers, leaning over the rolled down window. the moonlight settles on everything, silent and serene. harriet leans against the headrest and laughs quietly. "they're a rowdy, messy bunch," she says.

"no kidding." marie tucks a lock of blond hair behind her ear. "i'm glad you all made it back safe. how's his ankle? any other injuries?"

black✩star and soul snore in harmony. "you know him... he's not letting it heal. he'll be fine though, mira will make him rest. how is she?"

marie looks past harriet, gaze skipping around the van of sleeping students to settle on liz, out like a light and sprawled over tsubaki. marie's face looks warmer, but it's hard to tell in the dark. "mira...she's... she's good. she'll be glad to have you back. me, too."

"i'm glad to be back." harriet chinhands, elbow on the dashboard. "should we wake them up? crona'll have a crick in their neck, look at them. kid's not gonna be happy that soul drools, either."

"christ, yeah."

maka stirs, blinking sleepily. she lifts her head to register marie. "harriet? are we back?" 

the book she fell asleep reading slides off her lap and onto the car floor, joining backpacks and the communal trashbag of candy wrappers. she stretches, taking the coat that she balled up as a pillow, and flings it towards the back in a halfhearted, uncoordinated motion. "soul," she grumbles, "wake up, butthead."

"language," harriet smiles, knowing full well every one of them curse like sailors. maka groans.

soul extracts himself from maka's suddenly very present jacket and sits up droopily, wiping off his chin with the sleeve. 

"ew, gross."

"youregross."

he squeezes between tsubaki's armrest and the door, putting effort into not stepping on patty's from where she claimed the floor. "motor... motor skills, can kiss my ass," he says, fumbling for the handle that allows his escape.

slowly, everyone glops into consciousness, and marie helps harriet hand them their respective personal items from the trunk. they head home in pairs and trios. chrona exits last. 

"thank you," they say, eyes heavy with exhaustion, clearly putting tremendous effort into not leaning on the van to conversate properly. "you should rest, too, you've been driving all day."

harriet slings an arm around their shoulder and ruffles their hair, and crona squawks. "yes! i will. you too. will you go to maka's?"

crona leans into harriet instead, tired, and defeated by the noogie. "i think so," they yawn, and marie smiles from behind them. "go home," she advises. "i can walk you, if you like. so long as you know the way."

harriet wraps crona in a proper hug, and then holds them upright by the shoulders. "not so sleepy you'll let marie get you both lost?"

"um, maybe."

harriet laughs.

"alright."

**Author's Note:**

> the song liz plays is up to u >B)


End file.
